Whether it is called corn toss, soft horseshoes, bean bag toss or tailgate toss, the lawn game cornhole is increasing in popularity across the United States. There are numerous associations and clubs for the game including the American Cornhole Association (www.playcornhole.org), the American Cornhole Organization (www.americancornhole.com), the Central Alabama Cornhole Club (www.alabamacornhole.com), and the Maryland Cornhole Organization, Inc. (www.marylandcornhole.org). The exact origins of the game are unknown. One version of its history says the game originated in Germany during the fourteenth century and reemerged in Kentucky approximately one hundred years ago. Another version has the game originating in Ohio during the last century. Regardless of its origins, the game appeals to people of all ages.
The game consists of two elevated platforms, typically made of wood, located several feet apart in a level area. The platforms are elevated on an angle with the lower end located typically two to four inches above the ground and the higher end approximately twelve inches above the ground. A standard platform generally measures two feet wide by four feet long with a six inch circular aperture centered horizontally on the board approximately nine inches from the edge of the higher end. In a standard game, the platforms are placed facing each other approximately twenty-seven feet apart. Players take turns tossing a small bag filled with dried beans, corn or other pellets at the platform the farthest from them. Points are awarded for landing the bag on the platform or sending the bag through the target aperture, with a greater number of points awarded for sending the bag through the target aperture. The bag can go through the target aperture by either hitting the target aperture directly or sliding the bag across the board into the aperture. The invention described in this application is intended to provide the players the option of changing the target aperture through which the players desire to send their bag so that the bag can go through the target aperture only by hitting the target aperture directly.